1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to bicycle racks, and more particularly to a collapsible bicycle rack for attachment to or forming a part of a bumper of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The recent increased emphasis on bicycling for both sport and pleasure has created a need for cyclists to transport their bicycles over distances requiring the use of a motor vehicle for such transporting purposes. The size of the bicycle and the delicacy of its constituent parts does not generally allow the cyclist to transport his bicycle within his motor vehicle. Therefore, a significant demand has arisen for bicycle carrying racks which can be mounted to the exterior of the motor vehicle for supportingly carrying a bicycle. Such racks must be of sturdy construction for withstanding the environmental elements and for reliably supporting the bicycle carried thereby in the face of winds and turbulence thereof directed against the rack and bicycle carried thereby during the course of movement of the motor vehicle.
Bicycle carrying rack structures suitable for attachment to the exterior of a motor vehicle are known in the prior art. The prior art bicycle carrying racks are generally classified into two types, according to their mounting location upon the motor vehicle. The first type of prior art racks are those which are mountable to the roof of the motor vehicle in car-top carrier fashion and generally support a bicycle in inverted manner on the roof, with the handle bars and seat of the bicycle engaging either the bicycle rack or the roof of the motor vehicle. Such carriers require tie-down straps for securement to the roof and cannot be used with all types of motor vehicles. Further, such racks are generally unsightly when not in use, resulting in an operator typically installing the rack prior to each use thereof with a subsequent removal after use, both operations of which are time consuming and burdensome to the operator. Finally, with such racks it is generally difficult to physically lift the bicycle onto the top of the roof in proper position for securement to the bicycle rack.
The second type of prior art bicycle rack in most common use is that type which mounts to the rear bumper of the motor vehicle, typically referred to as "bumper-type" or "bumper-style" bicycle carrying racks. The bumper-style bicycle carrying rack provides a significant advantage over the car-top mounted type in its applicability to ready loading and unloading of bicycles onto and off of the rack. One such prior art apparatus includes a pair of cylindrical sleeve members clamped or bolted to the bumper in spaced apart relationship, with an inverted U-shaped rigid conduit member mounted within the sleeve. A pair of bicycle hooks are permanently mounted to the U-shaped conduit member for supporting the bicycle thereon.
Another prior art bumper-type bicycle carrying apparatus includes a pair of solid vertical standards rigidly clamped to the bumper with a horizontally extending upper brace member securing the vertical standards to one another in spaced apart relationship. A pair of bicycle hooks are fixedly mounted to the vertical standards for supporting the bicycle. Both of these bumper-style bicycle carrying racks of the prior art are generally unsightly and are burdensome to one attempting to gain access to the motor vehicle trunk compartment when the rack in not in use. Further, these devices are generally not designed for rapid removal, thus requiring an operator to expend significant amounts of time in assemblying and dismantling the bicycle carrying rack prior to and subsequent to use thereof. Such devices are also generally cumbersome and are not easily stored when not in use. Due to the multiplicity of parts involved, and operator must exercise additional caution so as not to lose any one or more of the parts of the assembly during storage and handling thereof.
Other variations of the two basic prior art types of bicycle carrying racks are known in the prior art, but are generally more complex and burdensome than those described above and suffer from the same disadvantages pointed out above.
The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned shortcomings of the bicycle carrying racks of the prior art. The bicycle carrying rack of this invention is of a bumper-style type which is designed for permanent installation on a motor vehicle, thus minimizing operator assembly and disassembly thereof and eliminating storage problems and worry over loss of parts. By the use of telescoping parts, the rack can be rapidly collapsed in low-profile configuration relative to the bumper in a manner which is both aesthetically pleasing and allows free access to the trunk area and gasoline tank inlet port of the motor vehicle.